The Bloomberg administration will spend $8 million to provide additional instruction to 31,000 third-graders in jeopardy of being held back under the controversial new policy ending social promotion.

The funding will target the struggling students with tutoring and after-school and weekend programs to help them score higher on the standardized English and math exams they’ll take in April.

Students who score at the bottom – Level 1 – will be automatically held back, though parents will be able to appeal the decision.

The money is in addition to $25 million previously announced to help low-performing third graders.

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and his deputy Diana Lam outlined the plan during a visit to PS 137 in Brooklyn, where they viewed what they consider innovative reading and writing approaches that could be used to help strugging third graders.

They announced the intervention plan – and the new appeal process for parents of kids held back – following a revolt from some education advocates who object to basing promotion on a single standardized test.

A parent upset about a child being held back has to discuss the matter first with the teacher and principal. But the final decision will be made by the local instructional superintendent at the end of the summer.